Quick! Look Over Here! It's A Roof.....

......No, Wait! It's A Condo Tower!

From the Vancouver Province's report on Mr. Gordon Campbell's Friday before the second longest long weekend of the year Press Conference:

"VANCOUVER -- A retractable roof is only one of the new-look changes to a major facelift for B.C. Place, and the old Expo site beside it.

"This is something we believe every British Columbian will benefit from," he said B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell this morning, inside the 25-year-old stadium.

The changes include:

- Upgrades to the existing roof, in time for the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Olympics.

Opening ceremonies organizers are happy with their preparations to date.

- There will be new concessions, improvements to seating, and a B.C.-style wood look to the interior of B.C. Place, in time for the opening ceremonies.

- A new retractable roof installed by 2011. It will be based on the canvas roof used in Frankfurt Germany.

- A new home for the Vancouver Art Gallery on the old Plaza of Nations site, with 320,000 square feet of space, twice the size of its current home on West Georgia.

- Creation of a cultural and retail hub outside the stadium...."

All of which sounds reasonable, right?

But then, after all that baiting of the hook, comes the switcheroo that is the following.....

"- Possible high-rise condo development, on the B.C. government-owned site....."

So, what's up with that?

Well, in true 'Document Dump Friday' form, a form that has been perfected by this government by the way, nobody seems to know.

Including even the 'preferred/pre-chosen/annointed' planner/developer, apparently:

"Developer David Podmore, who is the lead planner in the scheme, said he doesn't yet have a budget, and will be working out the details in the next four or five months.

Podmore said that, unlike the Vancouver Convention Centre expansion, it will be a fixed-price scheme, and will be financed by new revenue opportunities....."

Sure thing.

And, unlike the Vancouver Convention Centre expansion, not to mention just about everything else going on around these here parts, does this also mean that the Premier's former right hand man and content consultant extraordinare will NOT be involved in this one as well?

We'll believe that when we see it with our own eyes.

Or not.

OK?

.